Conservation Impact Report Your Audubon dollars make a difference

July 2016 - June 2017

2017 Audubon Minnesota impact Report | 1 2 | Audubon Minnesota impact report 2017 contents 4 Why Birds? 6 Kids in Conservation 8 River Conservation 12 Prairie and Grassland Conservation 14 Urban Conservation 15 Advocating for Conservation 17 Partnerships 19 Lights Out Building Participants 20 Audubon Chapters in Minnesota 21 Looking Ahead

Great Blue Heron Cover: Belted Kingfisher

2017 Audubon Minnesota impact Report | 3 why birds? with your help Bird conservation is at the core of our efforts. We focus on birds and their Dear Friends, habitats through science, education, advocacy, and on-the-ground restoration. You are the reason we saved birds through our achievements Why birds? Birds are in nearly every ecosystem on the planet. They are this past year. In this Conservation Impact Report, you’ll pollinators, seed dispersers, predators, and prey. Within the network of see the progress that we have made as a result of your connections that makes up an ecosystem, birds are uniquely positioned to act contributions. We truly cannot thank you enough for your as an environmental mirror for the health of land and water. That means what’s support. good for birds is good for entire ecosystems, including people. If we have Together, we are restoring important habitat. We are to choose how to focus our time, energy, and resources in the face of ever- advancing local, state, and federal laws that make sense. We growing conservation challenges, starting with birds makes a lot of sense. are instilling a conservation ethic in our youth. We focus on birds because it’s smart conservation for the state we love. Your We have accomplished so much already and we are well- support saves Minnesota birds. positioned for future impact. Thanks to your help, we can renew the ongoing commitment to protect Minnesota’s waterbirds, songbirds, and other migratory birds that need our help. After all, everyone benefits from a legacy of healthy lands and waters. Thank you,

Debbie Reynolds Audubon Minnesota Board Chair

 A boy holds the American White Pelican he crafted. In May 2017, he and more than 500 other Twin Cities students gathered to display art creations they made after learning about Minnesota’s birds, the habitat they need, and what the students can do to help.

4 | Audubon Minnesota impact report 2017 A group of students jump in celebration after helping to spread nine acres of St. Croix Prep property with native wildflower seeds.

2017 Audubon Minnesota Annual Report | 5 2017 Audubon Minnesota impact Report | 5 kids in conservation Your support is helping to ensure that conservation is part of foundational education for kids in Minnesota. Audubon Minnesota strives to inspire positive change in the world by working with the next generation. When we invest in our kids, we are investing in the future of our natural resources. Audubon Minnesota engaged 1,700 K-12 students in conservation education and activities this year. Kids from across the state picked prairie seeds, planted native wildflowers, learned about the importance of clean water, and discovered how to help birds in a changing climate. ƒƒ This spring, hundreds of schoolchildren learned that birds need clean water and native habitat to survive. Through a series of in-classroom sessions, Audubon Minnesota taught kids the importance of clean water throughout the Mississippi River watershed using a combination of environmental education and arts learning activities. Students also learned how to take action and reduce the impacts of climate change. ƒƒ More than 1,100 students helped to seed and plant native plants on nine acres of school property. St. Croix Preparatory Academy in Stillwater joined with Audubon Minnesota and a host of community partners to engage the students, prepare the land, spread prairie seeds, and celebrate native plants as a resource for birds, bees, and butterflies. The restored prairie will act as an outdoor classroom for thousands of students at St. Croix Prep for many years to come. ƒƒ Urban teens were inspired by Minnesota’s birds and created a Mississippi Flyway mural in . Audubon Minnesota showed young artists pictures of our state’s waterbirds and talked about what the birds need to thrive, including native plants. They also talked about reducing the amount of pollution and trash swept into city storm drains. The mural shows how Twin Cities’ residents can help keep our water clean for birds, people, and entire ecosystems. The mural is located on a busy intersection where thousands of people will see it as they pass by and visit nearby businesses each year.

6 | Audubon Minnesota impact report 2017 2017 Audubon Minnesota impact Report | 7 river conservation Today, the Mississippi River and its floodplain forests are a narrow sliver of habitat in a sea of agriculture and urban development. In some areas, up to 80% of the original forests have been lost. For Audubon scientists, the threat to birds along the river due to environmental degradation is clear and urgent. Your support helps us to improve the ecological health of the Mississippi River. Audubon Minnesota is working with government entities, community organizations, universities, and volunteers to make major strides in restoring habitat. Audubon Minnesota planted more than 44,000 trees in the Upper Mississippi River floodplain, including more than 2,000 large potted trees. Our work is helping to implement the Upper Mississippi River Systemic Forest Stewardship Plan. The plan influences the management of 300,000 acres of floodplain forest to improve water quality and enhance habitat for birds and other wildlife. Floodplain forests are found along river and stream corridors that contain a diversity of plants that can survive repeated and extensive flooding. We are able restore important places for birds by planting native tree species such as Cottonwood, Silver Maple, and Swamp-white Oak and removing invasive plants like Reed Canary Grass. Through our work, we are also improving the effectiveness of floodplain forest restoration. Management of any floodplain is difficult at best, but we are addressing complex issues and advancing the science of restoration. With our partners, we are restoring river water levels and constructing projects that improve habitat and water quality. These projects will encourage growth of aquatic plants that are an important food source for migrating waterfowl and help to improve water quality. Audubon Minnesota also advocates for policy changes and provides support and technical assistance to partners that will result in the restoration of islands and backwaters that provide important bird habitat within the Upper Mississippi River. River restoration efforts benefit birds like Prothonotary Warblers, Cerulean Warblers,  Red-shouldered Hawks, Bald Eagles, and many other species that rely on healthy river and wetland habitat to survive. Prothonoary Warbler

8 | Audubon Minnesota impact report 2017 river conservation outreach Aveda’s 2017 Earth Month campaign generated tremendous support for Audubon Minnesota connects people of all ages to river Audubon Minnesota’s clean water conservation through education and on-the-ground work. The Aveda Corporation, conservation projects. Changing the hearts and minds of its employees, and the Aveda Minnesotans in order to protect and safeguard our water network, continually contribute their resources is an important component of our work. enthusiasm, time, and generous financial contributions to support Currently, 40% of Minnesota’s lakes and rivers do not meet clean water projects that benefit both basic water quality standards. If we hope to balance the birds and people. needs of birds, people, and economies, we must engage Minnesotans in implementing solutions to clean and protect our waterways. One third of Minnesotans are wildlife-watchers and by offering volunteer activities, we ensure that nature-lovers can engage in hands-on conservation. Our volunteers take part in opportunities that highlight the importance of river ecosystems with a special focus on birds. Community volunteers and AmeriCorps members play a big role in restoring floodplain forest along rivers and streams that pour into the Mississippi River. These dedicated individuals not only help to expand our capacity, but they also learn by doing. Volunteers learn how these restoration efforts can make a significant difference and through their experience, they leave more informed about how to improve water quality and bird habitat.

In addition to volunteer trainings and events, we have also built relationships with elected officials by informing them  about the need to increase habitat and reduce threats to This newly-planted tree seedling may not look like much, but it’s part of an birds. Read more on page 17, under Policy Informed by important floodplain forest next to the Science. Mississippi River. Floodplain forests provide important habitat for birds and flood protection for nearby towns and cities. These forests also help improve water quality by filtering excess pollutants and sediment from our water.

2017 Audubon Minnesota impact Report | 9 10 | Audubon Minnesota impact report 2017 2017 Audubon Minnesota impact Report | 11 prairie and grassland conservation Audubon Minnesota’s work in grasslands and prairies improves water quality by protecting and restoring habitat. Even as birds face a host of challenges, our accomplishments ensure that Minnesota continues to be a stronghold in a changing climate. We are collaborating with private landowners to conserve and restore land in the Tallgrass Aspen Parklands of northwest Minnesota. This work is laying the foundation for a program that encourages landowners to protect outstanding bird habitat. Habitat will be protected through conservation easements that are a cost-effective way to protect land. In Minnesota, more than 75% of land is privately owned, which is why it is so important to find fair-market approaches to conserving private lands. Legend This past spring, Audubon Minnesota completed the statewide Marshbird Survey. Thanks to thirty-seven dedicated volunteers, who spent more than 1,500 hours surveying wetlands throughout Minnesota, we collected valuable data about Yellow Rails and five other secretive marshbirds. The data collected will shed light on the population trends and distribution of these elusive birds that need healthy wetlands. As a result, public land managers will be better equipped to make smart wetland-management decisions. In addition to these achievements, we provide our unique expertise as part of the Prairie Plan Working Group, which comprises 10 conservation partners 1 Agassiz NWR 20 Kittson-Roseau Aspen 37 Prairie Coteau Complex working toward the implementation of the Minnesota Prairie Conservation Plan. 2 AHATS-Rice Creek Parkland 38 Rothsay Prairie 3 Avon Hills 21 Lac Qui Parle - Big Stone 39 Salt Lake Our work in northwest Minnesota is based on our commitment to implementing 4 Big Bog 22 Lake Byllesby 40 Sax-Zim Bog 5 Bluestem Prairie-Buffalo River 23 Lake Maria State Park - 41 Sherburne NWR the Prairie Plan. The Plan provides a 25-year strategy to accelerate prairie and 6 Blufflands-Root River Henry Larson County Forest 42 South-Central wetland conservation in the prairie region of Minnesota with ambitious goals: 7 Camp Ripley-Pillsbury-Lake 24 Lake of the Woods North Shore Alexander 25 Lake Osakis 43 St. Croix-Wild River S.P. 1) Protect the remaining 108,875 acres of currently unprotected native prairie. 8 Carlos Avery 26 Lower MN River Valley 44 St. Croix Bluffs 9 Chippewa Plains 27 McGregor 45 St. Croix Lake 2) Restore approximately 350,000 acres of functioning prairie. 3) Enhance over 10 Crane Meadows NWR - Rice 28 Mille Lacs 46 St. Louis River Estuary Skunk Complex 29 Minneapolis Chain of Lakes 47 850,000 acres of existing grassland and wetland habitat. 11 Des Moines River 30 Mississippi River-Lake 48 Swan Lake 12 Felton Prairie Pepin 49 Tamarac NWR 13 Glacial Ridge 31 Mississippi River Twin Cities 50 Thief Lake 14 Goose Lake Swamp 32 Murphy-Hanrehan Park 51 Twin Valley-Neal Prairie 15 Hamden Slough NWR Reserve 52 Upper MN River Valley 16 Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve 33 North Metro Mississippi 53 Upper Mississippi NWR Our Important Bird Areas (IBAs) are how we prioritize our on-the-ground conservation  17 Heron Lake River 54 Vermillion Bottoms- projects. We have identified 57 IBAs throughout Minnesota that help us determine the 18 34 North Shore Peregrine Lower Cannon River 19 Kettle River Banning State Falcon Eyries 55 Voyageurs Kabetogama most effective ways to direct our resources. Your support ensures that this science-based Park 35 Northland Arboretum 56 Waubun Marsh approach is used to guide conservation of the most essential habitats for birds. 36 Pigeon Lake 57 Whitewater Valleys

12 | Audubon Minnesota impact report 2017 2017 Audubon Minnesota impact Report | 13 urban conservation Birds don’t focus on city or state boundary lines. Migratory birds are almost constantly on the move and they are most concerned with finding the food, water, and shelter they need to thrive and survive. Science tells us that healthy habitat in cities and towns provides crucial resources for birds, especially as they migrate in spring and fall. Your support helps us to drive solutions that address the biggest threats to birds, including in urban spaces. Audubon Minnesota added two new Bird Cities. Our Bird City Minnesota program works to increase habitat, reduce threats, and engage citizens by recognizing cities that take action to create great places for birds to feed, live, and nest. St. Paul and Bemidji joined Hastings as official Bird Cities, all of which are implementing bird-friendly solutions in their cities. By recognizing these actions, we are identifying solutions that can be implemented in other communities, and at the same time, giving birds a chance to thrive alongside their human neighbors. For example, Bemidji and its partners are working with retailers to promote native plants in landscaping projects to benefit birds, pollinators, and water quality. Bemidji is also reducing bird-window collisions, promoting renewable energy and efficiency standards for city buildings, and promoting non-toxic alternatives to lead ammunition, which poisons many bird species. Thanks to ongoing support from the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund, we look forward to expanding Bird City Minnesota and having many more cities join the flock. Our Lights Out program recognizes buildings for helping to reduce bird- window collisions. Most birds migrate at night and can become disoriented and driven to exhaustion by lighted structures in their flight path. Fatalities from nighttime window strikes or falling victim to predators while recuperating, are a major source of bird mortality. In addition to saving birds, building owners and managers are reducing their energy consumption and saving money by following bird-friendly practices. We are grateful to all participating buildings for their leadership in saving birds and energy. See a full list of Lights Out buildings on page 21. Indigo Bunting

14 | Audubon Minnesota impact report 2017 advocating for conservation Audubon Members in Minnesota Protect Our Great Lakes The Great Lakes are five of America’s greatest natural treasures. The 2017 federal budget plan had proposed slashing 97% of the funding used to protect and restore the lakes. Thousands of National Audubon members wrote their legislators to ask them to oppose this budget proposal, including Audubon members in Minnesota. We succeeded. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will receive the full $300 million for this fiscal year. Since 2010, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has funded over 2,000 projects that improve water quality, protect native wildlife, control invasive species, and clean up toxic pollutants that threaten our water supply. Cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from the budget would halt all of this important work, impacting not only our waters and wildlife, but the millions of people that call this region our home. These numerous local projects add up to much greater regional impact for cleaner water, healthy habitat, and vibrant communities across the eight Great Lakes states. Together, we can ensure that the Great Lakes continue to provide abundant clean water for the people and wildlife that depend on them.

2017 Audubon Minnesota impact Report | 15 policy informed by science Audubon Minnesota informs lawmakers about legislation and policies that affect birds and their habitat because many issues that impact birds also impact people. This year, we stood our ground on conservation issues and made valuable progress on issues that affect clean rivers, healthy habitat, and reducing carbon pollution. We continue to work together as conservationists to address issues that impact everyone, regardless of political affiliation. Water Action Day More than 700 Minnesotans, including many Audubon members, gathered at the Capitol in spring of 2017 to urge lawmakers to support clean water policies. We worked with a number of other coalition partners to make the Minnesota Environmental Partnership’s Water Action Day a success. Cleaning Up the Headwaters of Lake Superior The Legislature appropriated $25 million for the cleanup of the St. Louis River Estuary – the headwaters of Lake Superior. This investment allows Minnesota to access $47 million of federal support. Solar Gardens with More Habitat for Birds and Pollinators Audubon Minnesota and our partners helped to pass legisla- tion for native plants to be planted under and around solar panels on new developments. The guidelines included in the bill have incentivized 4,000 acres of solar sites to be planted with native wildflowers and grasses. Funding for Habitat and Clean Water Initiatives Some lawmakers attempted to repeal or delay implementa- tion of the state’s law requiring vegetative buffer strips or alternative practices along lakes, rivers, streams, and public ditches. Audubon Minnesota and a coalition of conservation allies defeated attempts to weaken the buffer law.

16 | Audubon Minnesota impact report 2017 thank you partners Audubon Minnesota collaborates with partners to shape a healthy, vibrant future for all of us, including birds and wildlife. We are deeply grateful to everyone that supported our mission this fiscal year. Thank you for helping to protect Minnesota’s birds and the habitats that support them. A special thanks to all of the volunteers, citizen scientists, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and businesses that donated time and resources to our efforts. You make the accomplishments listed in this report possible.

Conservation Partners Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Minnesota Land Trust Natural Resources Research Institute – University of Minnesota University of Minnesota University of Wisconsin – La Crosse Upper Mississippi River Basin Association US Army Corps of Engineers US Fish & Wildlife Service

Clean Water Land and Legacy funding is used for Audubon Minnesota’s Tallgrass Aspen Parklands program (p. 13). Legacy funds are also used for our Upper Mississippi River program project implementation, including site preparation, controlling invasive species, purchasing and planting trees, and post planting weed control.

Funding for Audubon Minnesota’s Tallgrass Aspen Parklands program (p. 13) and Upper Mississippi River program (p. 9, 10) was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative- Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). The Trust Fund is a permanent fund constitutionally established by the citizens of Minnesota to assist in the protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state’s air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources.

Audubon Minnesota is a proud member of the Minnesota Environmental Fund.

Great Gray Owl

2017 Audubon Minnesota impact Report | 17 Audubon Minnesota gratefully Thank You for Your Help: acknowledges our board MNBirdAtlas.org members for their time, The Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas wisdom, and financial support. is now available online! Their visionary guidance continually ensures we are Thanks to a number of dedicated a passionate and effective partners and more than 800 nonprofit organization. volunteers who collected data, we have launched Minnesota’s first BOARD MEMBERS Breeding Bird Atlas. This web- based tool contains impressive Chair amounts of information about Debbie Reynolds 249 bird species in Minnesota Vice Chair and their history, breeding Gene Merriam habitats, population status, and conservation needs. The Atlas Secretaries provides summaries of bird Ron Kroese species documented in Minnesota Ed Reilly during five summer seasons, Treasurer from 2009-2013. Each summary Paul Egeland includes maps and graphs depicting surveyed abundance Suzanne Blue across the state. Greg Burnes Claire Dempsey The Atlas will enable us to support Joel Dunnette local and state-wide conservation Rebecca Field planning with current, science- Jan Green based information. Doug Harr Birds are among the most Tim Nixon visible indicators of the health Executive Director of Minnesota ecosystems. The Molly Pederson Atlas, documentation of bird species distribution across the Photo credits: (Cover) Angel Minnesota landscape, will serve as DeBilio; (p. 3) Rebecca Field; the baseline against which future (p. 7) Justin Meissen; (p. 8) Jay observations can be compared and Ondreicka; (p. 11) Justin Meissen; ecosystem health monitored. (p. 13) Joe Bielawa, Flickr – Scott M. Lanyon, Vice Provost Creative Commons; (p. 14, Indigo and Dean of Graduate Education, Bunting) David Brislance; (p. 15) University of Minnesota Samuel Kratzer; (p. 16, flowers and solar panel) Rob Davis; (p. 17) Jim Williams; (p.18) Kathleen Johnston/Audubon Photography Awards; (p.20) Justin Meissen; (back cover) Jim Cumming. Red-headed Woodpecker

18 | Audubon Minnesota impact report 2017 thank you lights out participants

Over 250 species of birds migrate through Minnesota each LIGHTS OUT BUILDING Thrivent Financial Minnesota Governor’s spring and fall. Many birds migrate at night and can be PARTICIPANTS US Bancorp Center Residence US Bank Plaza BLAINE drawn off course by lighted structures in their flight path and Wells Fargo Center Minnesota Senate Building Aveda Corporation Plant Power House and are often killed or injured in collisions with buildings. MINNETONKA BLOOMINGTON Shops Building 301 & 401 Carlson Parkway HealthPartners Retirement Systems Building “Lights Out” can reduce these collisions! By turning 601 Tower at Carlson Center Normandale Lake Office Park Stassen Building off unnecessary lighting at night during spring and fall Carlson Center East I Reflections Condominiums State Capitol Building migration, building owners and managers can save birds, PLYMOUTH GOLDEN VALLEY State Office Building ATRIA Corporate Center energy, and money. The Colonnade Transportation Building One & Two Carlson Parkway General Mills Veterans Service Building Our thanks to the Building Owners and Managers ROCHESTER (MAYO CLINIC) Travelers Insurance MINNEAPOLIS Gonda Building US Bank Center Associations of Greater Minneapolis and Saint Paul for their 20, 100 and 111 Washington Guggenheim Building Wells Fargo Place Square assistance in reaching out to their membership about Lights Hilton Building Wilder Center St./City Center Out and to the following participants for their commitment Mayo Building 333 South Seventh Street Tower WABASHA Siebens Building to helping migrating birds make safe passage through our 50 South 10th National Eagle Center Stabile Building urban landscapes. Ameriprise CSC Building Please email us at Ameriprise Financial ROSEVILLE [email protected] AT&T Tower Symantec if you would like to add your Campbell Mithun Tower ST. LOUIS PARK building as a Lights Out MetroPoint participant. Carlyle Condominiums ST. PAUL - 100 & 150 Bremer Tower South Fifth Street Ramsey County Government Center Fifty South Sixth Ramsey County Library Grant Park Tower Saint Paul City Hall – Hennepin County Central Library Ramsey County Courthouse Hennepin County Government Securian Financial Group (400 Center Building) Hennepin County Health Services Securian Financial Group (401 Building Building) IDS Center State of Minnesota Capitol Complex International Centre 321 Grove (1&2) LaSalle Plaza Administration Building Marquette Plaza Agriculture and Health Laboratory Mill Ruins Building Andersen Building Bureau of Criminal Apprehension – Oracle Centre Maryland PWC Plaza Centennial Office Building RBC Plaza Ford Building River Parkway Place Freeman Office Building Baltimore Oriole Riverplace Judicial Center

2017 Audubon Minnesota impact Report | 19 audubon chapters in minnesota 1 Albert Lea Audubon Society 2 Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis 3 Austin Audubon Society 4 Brainerd Lakes Area Audubon Society 5 Central Minnesota Audubon Society 6 Duluth Audubon Society 7 Minnesota River Valley Audubon Chapter 8 Mississippi Headwaters Audubon Society 9 Prairie Lakes Audubon Society 10 St. Paul Audubon Society 11 Upper Hiawatha Valley Audubon Society 12 Wild River Audubon Society 13 Zumbro Valley Audubon Society

20 | Audubon Minnesota impact report 2017 looking ahead One of Audubon Minnesota’s strengths is our ability to transcend borders by having a birds-eye view of conservation. Everything we do in Minnesota fits into larger national efforts to conserve natural resources for future generations. We owe it to our funders and supporters, as well as to birds, to manage all of our resources for the highest conservation return. In the spirit of that commitment, watch for updates about the following initiatives.

ƒƒ Connecting youth to birds and clean water through in- classroom learning activities. At least 1,300 students will be inspired this coming year to make clean water choices that can result in real conservation impacts. ƒƒ Engaging communities around bird-friendly actions, including educating community members about the benefits of planting native flowers, trees, and grasses. ƒƒ Activating our network of chapters and members to advance and safeguard Minnesota’s clean water, healthy habitat, and clean energy policies that help birds and people to thrive. ƒƒ Restoring the floodplain forests of the Upper Mississippi River watershed and developing conservation strategies that extend our impact throughout the flyway. ƒƒ Permanently protecting ecologically sensitive land along waterways in northwest Minnesota.

2017 Audubon Minnesota impact Report | 21 Make a difference for Minnesota’s birds. mn.audubon.org/waystogive

1 Water Street W, Suite 200 | Saint Paul MN 55107 | 651.739.9332 [email protected] mn.audubon.org Printed on recycled paper

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